Sunday, November 18, 2018

Hoping to find the woman who saved his grandfather
from the Nazis during World War II, a young Jewish man travels from New York
City to the Ukraine in “Everything Is Illuminated,” Simon Block’s adaptation of
Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel presented by Aurora Theatre Company.

When Jonathan (Jeremy Kahn) arrives in the late
1990s, he is met by his guide and translator Alex (Adam Burch). They are to be
driven by Alex’s semi-blind, curmudgeonly Grandfather (Julian López-Morillas).

The only information Jonathan has is that his
grandfather lived in a now obliterated shtetl and that the woman’s name was Augustine.
He has a snapshot that he believes shows her.

He never finds her, but along the way he imagines
his ancestry going back to the 18th century.

Alex, however, learns much more about Grandfather’s
experiences during the war.

Lura Dolas as Woman with Adam Burch.

Act 1 moves slowly with some crude humor from Alex,
and it doesn’t get very far except at the very end. That’s when the three men
meet the old Woman (Lura Dolas).

Dressed all in white with long white hair,
she’s a ghostly figure.

As Act 2 begins, she’s reluctant to help them, but
then she shows them her collected artifacts that were buried in the area. She
also leads them to the site of the former Jewish village.

This act is highlighted by two moving monologues. In
the first, the Woman tells the gruesome story of how her sisters were brutally
killed by Nazi soldiers.

In the second, Grandfather finally tells Alex his
painful secret from World War II.

Completing the cast is Marissa Keltie, playing several
female characters.

Production values are high, too, with the set by
Kate Boyd, lighting by Kurt Landisman, costumes by Callie Floor and sound by
Matt Stines.

Ross points out in the program that Foer’s novel is
based on an actual trip he took at age 20 after his sophomore year at
Princeton.

Although his book about the trip apparently was a
success, it doesn’t adapt well to the stage, at least not in Block’s
interpretation. It also was a 2005 film that lost money.

Running about two hours and 20 minutes with one
intermission, “Everything Is Illuminated” will continue through Dec. 9 at
Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. For tickets and information, call
(510) 843-4822 or visit www.auroratheatre.org.

Robert Schenkkan’s “All the Way” goes back 55 years
to what happened after that awful day, Nov. 22, 1963, when President John F.
Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.

This docudrama, presented by Palo Alto Players,
relates what his vice president, Lyndon B. Johnson, did in the year between becoming
what he called “an accidental president” and seeking election in his own right
in 1964.

Played by Michael Monagle, the folksy but wily
Texan’s first goal was to see the landmark Civil Rights Act enacted. After
succeeding in that endeavor, he then sought the Democratic nomination and
election. The play’s title comes from his election slogan, “All the way with
LBJ.”

Getting the Civil Rights Act through Congress was an
enormous task, given the staunch opposition by Southern Democrats.

It once included a voting rights provision, but he
was forced to compromise by dropping it and sticking with just equal rights to
employment and public accommodations.

This compromise didn’t sit well with black leaders like
the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. (Fred Pitts), the fiery Stokely Carmichael
(William Bryant Jr.) and others. They agreed, though, after Johnson promised he
would push for voting rights after the election. The amended bill passed in
June 1964.

There were more obstacles along the way, but Johnson managed to succeed.

He did so through flattery, threats, promises and
demands for loyalty from his backers as well as those who stood in his way.

The play ends with his landslide victory over Sen. Barry
Goldwater.

It has a hint of the Vietnam War to come when
Defense Secretary Robert McNamara reports a possible North Vietnamese attack
against Navy ships in the Gulf of Tonkin and requests a military response.

It only touches on Johnson’s planned War on Poverty,
a signature accomplishment after his election.

All of this history plays out in a fascinating way
for those who lived through those times. It has some painfully familiar
parallels to what’s happening today with demonization of immigrants, attempts at voter suppression in the
South and some presidential tactics that have less noble goals than Johnson’s.

Directed by Peter Allas, many in the 19-member cast
play multiple roles. Some of the more memorable characters are Sen. Hubert
Humphrey (Tom Gough), who became Johnson’s vice president; Walter Jenkins
(Kevin Copps), Johnson’s valued aide who was disgraced after a sexual encounter
with a man; and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover (Andrew Harris), who was himself
outed later; among many others.

Although the acting isn’t as polished as in the 2012
world premiere at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, this production is still
well done and highly fascinating.

It’s facilitated by the sets and projections by
Randy Wong-Westbrooke, costumes by R. Dutch Fritz, lighting by Rick Amerson and
sound by James Goode.

Running about two hours and 45 minutes with one
intermission, “All the Way” will continue through Nov. 18 at the Lucie Stern
Theater, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto.

Friday, October 26, 2018

Sharon Rietkerk as Senga tries to teach Craig Marker as Ever how to fast dance. (Photo by www.mellophoto.com)

Two suffering people find help in unexpected ways in
Mark St. Germain’s humorous and touching “Dancing Lessons,” presented by Center
Repertory Company.

This two-person romantic comedy features Sharon
Rietkerk as Senga Quinn, a talented professional dancer who has a possibly
career-ending knee injury; and Craig Marker as Ever Montgomery, a brilliant
geosciences professor whose autism means, among other things, that he can’t
stand to be touched.

However, he knows he must overcome this phobia
because he’s the honoree at an awards dinner dance.

He and Senga hadn’t met, but they live in the same
New York City apartment building. Thanks to its super, he knows she’s an
injured dancer.

As the play opens, she’s on her couch with her right
leg encased in a brace while she pops pills and washes them down with scotch. At
first she won’t let him in when he knocks on her door, but he persists. He
offers her more than $2,000 for an hour teaching him to dance.

His attempts at a fast dance are awkward but
gradually improve. The lesson progresses to shaking hands. Later it goes beyond
that.

During the lessons, which take place over several
days, they learn more about each other and themselves, their strengths and
weaknesses.

Other scenes show Ever characteristically shifting his
weight while lecturing about the perils of global warming because of human
actions. A pivotal moment comes when a student asks if people can change.

One lesson that both Ever and Senga learn is that
change takes courage. That means they have to recognize their problems and try
to overcome them.

Director Joy Carlin has fine-tuned this outstanding production
and elicited believably human performances from both actors. She and they also
mine the script’s ample humor along with facts about autism and global warming.

A video of Rietkerk’s Senga in a captivating dance (choreographed
by Jennifer Perry) showcases her great talent.

Design elements enhance the production with set and
lighting by Kent Dorsey, costumes by Brooke Jennings, and sound and projections
by Teddy Hulsker.

Running about 90 minutes without intermission,
“Dancing Lessons” will continue through Nov. 17 at the Lesher Center for the
Performing Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek.

A family’s pain is raw and visceral in Ashlin
Halfnight’s “The Resting Place,” being given its world premiere by Magic
Theatre.

Mitch (James Carpenter) and Angela (Emilie Talbot)
have been joined in Detroit by their adult daughters, Annie (Martha Brigham),
who works for an environmental group in San Francisco, and Macy (Emily
Radosevich), who works on political campaigns in New York City.

Their reunion is not happy. Travis, oldest of the
siblings, has just committed suicide.

He was a gay man, teacher and longtime
pedophile who victimized local boys.

Annie wants him to have a funeral and burial in the
family plot in the Catholic cemetery next to his beloved paternal grandfather.
The rest of the family, concerned about the angry uprising over his actions,
wants to cremate him and quietly scatter his ashes.

As the play continues, the issues go much deeper,
leading to angry shouting matches, blame and feelings of guilt on top of profound
grief. Nevertheless, familial love is palpable.

Also involved are Travis’s former partner, Liam
(Wiley Naman Strasser), and one of Travis’s victims, Charles (Andrew LeBuhn),
now a recent high school graduate.

The final scene is especially wrenching as Annie
delivers an eloquent eulogy and reveals her own reason for feeling guilty.

Sensitively directed by Jessica Holt, the six actors
carefully navigate the play’s ups and downs.

Carpenter’s Mitch is the voice of reason as
conflicts arise, but he has moments of extreme emotion. Talbot’s Angela drinks
too much, but she, too, can be both reasonable and highly upset.

The sisters, Brigham as Annie and Radosevich as
Macy, sometimes clash, especially when Macy calls the take-charge Annie
self-righteous.

Both Strasser as Liam and LeBuhn as Charles are
believable in their pain.

Design elements are outstanding with the set by
Edward T. Morris, costumes by Shelby-Lio Feeney, lighting by Wen-Ling Liao and
sound by Sara Huddleston.

According to artistic director Loretta Greco, the
play “investigates what happens to those who are left behind in the wake of unimaginable
tragedy.”

Despite the difficult subject matter, it’s a
brilliant, absorbing, utterly human play that doesn’t skirt the issues. This profound
work of art is worth seeing.

Running about two hours with one intermission, “The
Resting Place” will continue through Nov. 4 at Magic Theatre, Fort Mason
Center, 2 Marina Blvd., Building D, third floor, San Francisco.

Sunday, October 14, 2018

As things get worse in the play within a play of
Michael Frayn’s “Noises Off,” Hillbarn Theatre’s production gets better.

This farce is set in England, where a third-rate
theatrical troupe is rehearsing and then staging the world premiere of “Nothing
On.”

As the action begins, Lloyd (David Crane), the
director of “Nothing On,” is trying to get Dotty (Luisa Sermol), housekeeper
for a country home, to go through a scene answering the phone and returning to
the kitchen. She forgets the receiver, the sardines (which figure prominently
in the play) and the newspaper.

Subsequent scenes involve the arrival of Garry (Max
Tachis) and Brooke (Michelle Skinner), who are there for an affair. As they
tour the house, its owners, played by Ross Neuenfeldt and Heather Orth, return unexpectedly.

Also involved in the action are the stage manager, Tim
(David Blackburn); assistant stage manager, Poppy (Brigitte Losey); and another
actor, the drunken Selsdon (Lawrence-Michael Arias).

During this act, most of the actual actors try too
hard, blunting much of the humor.

In Act 2, after the set has rotated to back stage of
“Nothing On,” the actors refine their timing, resulting in some frantically funny
moments. By this time in the troupe’s tour, it’s a month after the rehearsal,
and nerves are frayed.

Finally, in Act 3, after the set has rotated again
to become the set for “Nothing On,” everything has unraveled. Nothing goes
right, in part because of sabotage by some jealous actors, resulting in more
laughs.

Directed by Jeffrey Lo, most of the actors do well,
especially in the latter two acts. Sermol’s Dotty is aptly named, while
Skinner’s Brooke is blithely dense. So too is Neunenfeldt as one of the home’s
owners.

Orth as the other owner is the one who tries to keep
everyone under control. Tachis is amazingly athletic as his Garry becomes the
victim of most of the sabotage.

Losey and Blackburn as the harried stage managers also
do well.

Christopher Fitzer’s two-level set not only rotates
but also features multiple doors – a must for farce with its split-second exits
and entrances.

The character-specific costumes are by Mae
Heagerty-Matos with lighting by Meghan Souther and sound by Jon Covey.

Running about two and a half hours with one
intermission and a pause, “Noises Off” will continue through Oct. 28 at
Hillbarn Theatre, 1285 E. Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City.

Friday, October 12, 2018

It’s one thing to read or hear about the loss of
blue collar jobs when a factory closes. It’s quite another to actually see how a
closing can devastate lives.

That’s the lesson made clear in “Sweat,” the 2017 Pulitzer
Prize-winning drama written by Lynn Nottage and presented by American
Conservatory Theater.

Nottage switches the action between 2000 and 2008 in
Reading, Pa., a once-thriving factory town. It opens in 2008 as a parole
officer, Evan (Adrian Roberts), separately questions two young men, the white
Jason (David Darrow) and the black Chris (Kadeem Ali Harris).

He asks what they plan to do now that they’re out of
prison. Why they went to prison doesn’t become clear until much later in the
play.

After that, most of the action takes place in 2000 in
a bar managed by Stan (Rod Gnapp) and frequented by workers from a nearby
factory.

They’ve heard rumors that the plant’s new owners
might close it and move to Mexico, but they believe their union will protect
them.

However, when Cynthia is promoted into management
and the owners want to negotiate a new contract with major concessions, her
friends accuse her of betraying them. She counters that she’s doing everything
she can to help them.

A strike ensues. Oscar (Jed Parsario), Stan’s
Hispanic helper in the bar, turns scab and crosses the picket line. Tensions
reach a boiling point until the brawl that sent Chris and Jason to prison.

Subsequent scenes in 2008 show just how hard life
has become for nearly everyone. Their fate was previewed in 2000 by Brucie
(Chiké Johnson), Cynthia’s ex-husband. He became strung out on drugs after losing
his job at another factory.

Directed by Loretta Greco, artistic director of
Magic Theatre, the ensemble cast is terrific at building the tension, its
climax and the aftermath.

Stan (Rod Gnapp) pours another drink for Jessie (Sarah Nina Hayon).

Gnapp is especially effective as Stan, the bartender
who offers sage advice, mostly keeps the peace and truly cares about his
customers.

Greco is aided by Andrew Boyce’s set design
augmented by Hana S. Kim’s projections. Costumes are by Ulises Alcala, sound by
Jake Rodriguez and lighting by Allen Lee Hughes.

“Sweat” is painfully relevant to what’s happening
today. Although it premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2015, before
the 2016 presidential election, it shows how Donald Trump’s rhetoric and his
“Make America Great Again” slogan could resonate so deeply among some voters.

It’s a powerful, theatrical work that is must
viewing for those who seek insight into some Americans’ malaise.

Running about two and a half hours with an
intermission, it will continue through Oct. 21 at ACT’s Geary Theater, 415
Geary St., San Francisco.

For tickets and information, call (415) 749-2228 or
visit www.act-sf.org.

AISLE SAY SF Reviews 2000-2017

About Me

Judy reviews San Francisco Bay Area theater and writes feature articles about activities of the Stanford Women's Basketball team and Fast Break Club. A longtime Bay Area journalist, she is retired from the San Francisco Chronicle, where she was a writer and copy editor.